We don't need more Americans like Paul Mara! They'll never be superstars!

I was waiting for somebody to cherry pick that low hanging fruit. I thought the comment about him not being selected to the US Olympic team was a clue.

Whatever team drafts Erik Johnson would be ecstatic if he turns out like Brian Leetch or Chris Chelios. Whatever team drafts Phil Kessel would be ecstatic if he turns out like Pat LaFontaine or Joey Mullen. They are products of the NTDP which was designed to develop elite American players. The entire reason the NTDP was started was because we were not developing enough elite players as evidenced by our poor JR teams in the mid 90s. We are now seeing this program bear fruit as evidenced by our U18 and U20 teams in the past few years as well as the numerous Americans populating the upper rounds of the NHL draft lately. Anybody that followed USA Hockey would know this, but of course we are talking about Sabu, so the ignorance is not unexpected.

The Pens need to continue building their young core. Adding vets by sacrificing assets like the #1 or #2 pick makes no sense. The Pens could sign Chara as an UFA and still not be a playoff caliber team. Once the young core is ready to contend for a playoff spot in 2 or 3 years it would be time to add some vets with proven leadership and significant PLAYOFF experience. Mara is almost as much as a playoff virgin as most of the Pens.